Shock Wave Dynamics in Planetary Atmospheres

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue dedicated to the comprehensive exploration of shock waves and their impacts on planetary atmospheres. Shock waves, stemming from a sudden energy release, exhibit rapid propagation through a medium at velocities surpassing the local speed of sound. Both stationary sources (e.g., chemical explosions, volcanoes) and moving sources (e.g., bolides, re-entry vehicles) are capable of generating shock waves.

This Special Issue recognizes the critical relevance of studying shock waves and their effects on planetary atmospheres across diverse disciplines, including atmospheric physics and chemistry, space exploration, and planetary defense. Notably, the shock waves generated by extraterrestrial bodies impacting the Earth present significant implications for both the surrounding atmosphere (including local chemistry) and the surface. Expanding the scope beyond Earth, this Special Issue also seeks to explore shock wave phenomena on atmosphere-bearing worlds such as Mars, Venus, Titan, and the Jovian planets, particularly in the context of forthcoming space missions.

We invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue through their observational, experimental, modeling, and theoretical studies, fostering a comprehensive understanding of shock waves in planetary atmospheres. Key themes include shock wave generation, propagation, and attenuation; air-to-ground coupling; source localization and characterization; as well as the effect of shock waves on the local atmospheric chemistry. Contributions examining shock wave dynamics within the context of future space missions are highly encouraged.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Silber
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• atmosphere
• shockwaves
• re-entry
• space missions